Russia's aggressive incursions into UK airspace could lead to a passenger jet being brought down by accident, the Defence Secretary warned yesterday.

Michael Fallon warned that Vladimir Putin was playing a ‘provocative and dangerous’ game by ordering Russian Bear bombers to fly over British waters.

Mr Fallon said Mr Putin’s new aggression could even spark a war with Nato forces. In a blunt message, he said Britain should ‘prepare for the worst’ as the Russian President flexes his muscles.

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Unwelcome visitor: An RAF Typhoon intercepts a Russian Bear off Scotland in September, one of 100 occasions so far this year that RAF jets have scrambled to meet Russian bombers near British airspace

RAF jets have been scrambled more than 100 times this year to escort Tu-95 Bear bombers away from British airspace. Mr Fallon said the deliberate move had placed crews ‘under pressure’ – and risked a serious incident.

He accused Russia of playing a ‘provocative and dangerous’ game – and warned there was a danger that a Russian military aircraft operating secretly could accidentally crash into an airliner which might not become aware of its presence until it was too late.

Asked whether he was concerned that shots might be fired, he replied: ‘I’m more worried about a mid-air collision where they are flying directly on top of the UK border. Their Bears should stay in the woods.’

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Incidents have taken place all over northern Europe. In March this year a Scandinavian Airlines 737 which had just taken off from Copenhagen carrying 132 passengers had a near miss with a Russian reconnaissance aircraft which did not transmit its position.

A crash was only avoided because of good visibility and the alertness of the passenger jet crew.

Russian jets have also had a string of near misses with military aircraft in recent months. In one case, a Russian jet came within 30ft of a Swedish reconnaissance plane as it intercepted it in international airspace.

Closely watched: RAF Typhoon jets were also scrambled in October to track this Tu-95 Bear bomber, one of two which flew close to Britain without filing flight plans or communicating with air traffic controllers.

Followed: These RAF images show the moment the aircraft were escorted by Typhoons near British airspace

The European Leadership Network think-tank, which studied 39 incursions by Russian jets over Europe this year, found a ‘highly disturbing’ pattern was emerging.

A spokesman said: ‘Even though direct military confrontation has been avoided so far, the mix of more aggressive Russian posturing and the readiness of Western forces to show resolve increases the risk of unintended escalation and the danger of losing control over events.’

IRAQ 'MISSION CREEP' FEAR

Ministers were accused of allowing mission creep in Iraq last night after it emerged hundreds of British troops will help local forces take on Islamic State extremists.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said troop numbers in the ‘low hundreds’ would train Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, accompanied by combat-ready troops on protection duties. At the moment, only about 50 British military trainers and advisers are in Iraq.

The move represents a major expansion of Britain’s military role in the country, and critics fear it could suck troops into another bloody conflict.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea and destabilisation of eastern Ukraine has led to tough new sanctions on Moscow and a show of strength by Nato forces in Eastern Europe.

More than 1,300 British troops were deployed to Poland last month in Operation Black Eagle, the largest Nato exercise in the region for six years.

Ministers insist there is ‘no military solution’ to the Ukraine crisis. But, in an interview yesterday, Mr Fallon suggested this did not necessarily mean war can be avoided.

Asked if a military conflict between Russia and Nato was now a possibility, the Defence Secretary replied: ‘I don’t trust Putin at the moment, and we have to prepare for the worst.’

Defence sources insisted last night that Mr Fallon did not believe a war between Russia and the West was likely. A source said: ‘He was talking about Nato and the point of the exercises we are doing in eastern Europe, as well as collective self-defence, all acting as a deterrent.’

█ British apple growers say they face bankruptcy as a result of President Putin’s decision to back separatists in Ukraine.

In response to sanctions against Russia imposed by Brussels, he has banned imports of foods supplied or grown in the EU.

This has led to a glut of apples in Europe, causing prices to plunge by more than 50 per cent.

English growers say they are now being offered so little for their crops that many are leaving fruit to rot on the trees or selling it at knock-down prices.